Convert Thai Driving license to International license. Is it possible?

[nookiebear]

I have an international driving permit issued from Surin Land transport office. All you need is a 5 year Thai licence ( not a temporary 1 year) and a letter of residence from Korat immigration. 505 Baht cost and it is done in about 15 minutes.  However i have since found out that most ( possibly all) countries I have since travelled to ie US Australia Malaysia Singapore and New Zealand accept Thai licences because they are now in English. You only need an international permit if your licence is not in English and all it actually is, is a translation of your non-english licence. Any tourist to these countries who are not living there permanently need nothing other than their Thai licence. It would appear that IDP's are no longer necessary. Strangely, the last car I rented in Ubon Ratchathani through Budget a month ago, actually insisted on my overseas licence and would not accept my Thai licence or IDP at all. Go figure.

In the UK a Thai 5 year licence is only valid for the first 3 months of the stay,which is why my mate got his Thai wife an International one on his recent trip here

[deepsat1970]

Hi, my wife has a 5 year full thai licence and we got her a international driving permit from the Buriram transport office, she can drive on that and is insured through my car insurance for a 12 month period in the uk, after the 12 month period she must take the full uk driving test, but as we go back to buriram every 6 months to see the family she just keeps re-newing her international permit and she is good to go then for another 12 months and no uk test.